Lock bolt



C. RICHTER Oct. 22, 1935.

LOCK BOLT Filed June 6'; -1934 l VENTOR l gral '[25 /l'c/IZW' ATTORNE ZWITNJESSES MJ/0 Za Patented Oct. 22, 1935 ,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOCK BOLT Charles Richter, Tampa. Fla., asslgnor oi onehalf to Nelson C. Gelse, Palatka, Fla.

Application June 6, 1934, Serial No. 729,300

apply but which cannot be removed Without be-A ing cut or broken.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved safety lock bolt for locking the license plates of automobiles on to the brackets and holding them in place until the bolt or some part thereof has been cut or broken.

An additional object, more specically, is to provide a safety lock bolt including ya nut and lock washer wherein the parts may be readily assembled but a portion of which must be sawed or cut when desired to be removed, so that the nut may be moved from its engagement with the bolt.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a side view of a safety lock bolt dis- ,25 closing an embodiment of the invention, the same being shown in connection with an automobile licenseplate or tag, the same being in section; 4 Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 except that the lock bolt is also in section; a0 Figure 3 is a sectional view 4through Figure 2 approximately on the line 3 3;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the lockv washer shown in Figures 1 and 2; l y

Figure 5 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary 36 sectional view on the line 5 of Figure 2. l Referring to the accompanying drawing by numeral, I indicates an ordinary bracket which is part of an automobile or other vehicle, the same being provided with a slot 2 and adapted to receive a license plate or tag 3, which is provided with a slot ,4 through which the shank 5 of the bolt 6 is adapted to pass when the bolt is used for clamping the license plate to the bracket. In order to prevent accidental loss or theft of the license plate or tag, the locking bolt shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is of great advantage asit will function to act in a mechanical manner to rmly hold the license plate in position. The bolt also may be readily applied and moved into clamping l0 position, but cannot be removed even bythe owner without breaking, certain parts of the bolt structure, which structure includes the bolt 6, the lock washer 'I and the lock nut 8. When the owner or anyother person desires to remove the l5 bolt, a hack saw is inserted in the notch 9 and 4 claims. (o1. fio- 125) the nut is s'awed downwardly to the slot I0,

Y whereupon the nut 8 is divided into two parts and may be readily swung to one side, as 'indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The bolt 0 is provided with a, suitable head integral with the .5 shank 5, which shank has flattened sides II and I2, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby it may readily extend through the slots 2 and 4 but cannot rotate in the slot 2. This shank is comparatively short but merges into the round threaded section l0 f I3, which coacts with. the threaded bore I4 of nut 8. In addition to the slot I0 and notch 8. nut 8 is provided with an opening or bore I5 in which a pin or other instrument may be inserted to rotate zthe nut when applying' the same. 15 Also, the nut 8 is provided with a bore I6 in which a spring I 1 is mounted and a reciprocating catch I8. This catch, as shown particularly in Fig. 5, is provided with a'pointed end I9 adapted to iit into one of the grooves 20 in the lock washer 20 l. The grooves 20 merge into an vannular groove 2| .adapted to receive the diametrically oppositely positioned, rounded bead 22 formed -on the lower surface yof the nut 8.

The lock washer 'l is also provided with a pair 25 of depending, lugs 23 and 24, as shown particularly in Fig. 2 and 3, said lugs extending downward-V ly into the slot 2 so that the lock washer cannot ner until it is screwed down tightly. As it nears the lock washer I the catch I8 will snap into the various radiating grooves 20 as the bolt rotates.

It will be noted that the catch I8 is provided with 40 a flattened portion 25 adapted to flt iiatwise against the side wallsoi the respective groovesl and thereby permit the catch' to remain in proper place and prevent a reverse rotation of the nut 8. The extension 21 is bent into the position 45 shown in Fig. 5 to prevent the loss of the catch I8 when the nut is not in use. It will be evident that a Stillson wrench or a wrench of some other kind may be used. to tighten the nut, though ordinarily a pin insertedlnto the bore I5 is suiiicient 60 to secure the desired'result.

After the nut 8 has been screwed down tightly for properly clamping the license-plate or tag 3. the nutcannot be removed or any part of the lock bolt remov'ed without breaking some of the parts. Il

When a person desires to remove the tag a hack saw is inserted into the notch 9 and a short section 26 is sawed away or sawed down until it merges into the sawcut I0, whereupon the nut will fall apart. It will be understood that the sawcut is on each side of the bore I 4 so that whenl the small section'ZG is removed the nut is inv two parts and is adapted to be swung downwardly, as shown in Fig. 2,**and lifted out of place. The bolt 6 maythen readily be pulled away as well as the washer 1.

When it is desired to replace the lock bolt it will be necessary to provide a new nut, though the lock washer and bolt may be used a second time.

While this device has been illustrated in respect to automobile licenses or tags, it will be understood that it may be used in many places without departing from the spirit of the invention.

.I claim: 1. A safety lock bolt comprising a bolt member having a threaded portion and a head, having on one face an annular groove and a lock washer,

.a plurality of radiating grooves merging into the annular groove, and a pair of lugs on the other tace, a nut adapted to be screwed onto the threaded part of said bolt member, said nut having slots cut therein from the inner end to a -1 2. A safety lock bolt in combination with a support having a slot including a bolt structure having a head, a flattened shank fitted into said slot whereby the bolt cannot rotate, and a threaded extension, a washer fitting over said threaded exthreaded bolt structure and a nut carried thereby, said nut having a threaded bore for receiving said threaded bolt structure, a pair of s1otssaid slots being on diametrically opposite sides of said bore and extending Irom'the inner face of the nut to near the outer face, a notch arranged in said outer face in line with said slots, the part o! said nut between said notch and said slot being adapted to be cut when the bolt is to be removed, and a reciprocating locking catch carried by said nut normally projecting from the inner face thereof.

4. In a locking bolt, a nut formed with a centrally positioned threaded bore extending from the inner face of the nut towards the outer face but not through the nut, said nut being provided with a saw cut extending from the inner face towards the outenface for substantially the same distance as said bore, and a second saw cut extending from said outer tace towards the rst 'mentioned saw cut, said second saw cut being 35 comparatively shallow so that there will be left an uncut portion between the two saw cuts.

CHARLES RICHTER. 

